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Fairmont Boys #3

You Are Not My Son

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Alex and Liam have left their hometown and its ghosts to turn a new page in their lives-and their relationship. After their rocky road in high school, Eastwood University feels like a safe haven. None of their new friends, even the jocks on the varsity teams, care that they are gay. In fact, they welcome them with open arms. Just when their life in Eddington seems perfect, Alex's family life falls apart, and their relationship is once again in danger. Alex needs to decide whether to come out to his parents and face the fateful consequences. Worst of all, when Alex's father starts to pull the strings, the situation is no longer in their control. You Are Not My Son is the third book in Jay Argent's bestselling Fairmont Boys series. It's a story about the kind of love and friendship that are necessary to beat even the toughest obstacles.

234 pages, Paperback

First published August 27, 2016

106 people are currently reading
287 people want to read

About the author

Jay Argent

24 books120 followers
Jay Argent is a novelist in his forties who lives a peaceful life with his husband. His favorite hobbies are music, movies, and romantic novels. He obtained a degree in engineering in 2001 and started his career in a management consulting firm. Right now, he is pursuing his true passion of writing.

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5 stars
174 (50%)
4 stars
85 (24%)
3 stars
64 (18%)
2 stars
15 (4%)
1 star
6 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Mary_ame.
101 reviews3 followers
October 25, 2024
3.5 ⭐️

I can definitely see the author's improvement!
If I had to be more objective, the 2 previous books deserved a 2 ⭐️, but that one is an upgrade, from the characters, to the plot and even the writing (I didn't roll my eyes, for once)!
Profile Image for Guy Venturi.
1,081 reviews1 follower
January 7, 2024
Liam, you are not my son. Alex was and you can keep him.

College and surviving the battles of families and friends while avoiding bullies and others trying to take advantage of your problems. When the worst is being disclaimed by your own father and left without family, housing, food, or money for tuition, it is a great joy to discover your friends are much better than your father.

Showing him that you can survive in spite of him and his evil actions is the best reminder you can do as you excell at goodness and helping others. Found family sometimes finds you.
222 reviews
October 7, 2016
Will Alex ever stop screwing up??? Makes me disgusted.

I have read all three of these books now, and I still do not think Alex is worthy of Liam. Alex is so selfish, and Liam is such a sweet guy. I dislike that in every story in this series, Alex is always unfaithful to Liam, or intends to be. I mean, really, Tyler helping Alex study for an exam, and Alex is thinking about the time he jerked off thinking of Tyler, rather than his boyfriend, Liam, and didn't see anything wrong with it. I hope with the next book the author gets a clue that Alex is an awful person, and if the author doesn't give him finally a redeeming quality and FAITHFULNESS, I am going to consider this series a total waste of my time. Sorry, but I hate cheaters and definitely do not like reading about the same character doing this over and over in the last three books, albeit, he didn't actually cheat in this one, but only because his friends caught him before he could do anything.
554 reviews7 followers
June 10, 2017
Can I just get a break?

What a sh!+ show this story is from the jump. I was worried what was waiting for me on the next page. Poor Alex and Shawn. Two luck-starved boys first Alex. We're there for his birth and then jump 18 years to his freshman year of college. Alex and Liam have been a couple for a while (secretly to Alex's parents). Then the world comes crashing down in Alex.

Shawn is a high school senior who gets bullied in and out of school. It's at school when his life is permanently altered. See, told you - total sh!+ show.

Unlike some other stories I have read where several things happen to one of the MC's, I didn't feel like Jay was thinking "oh, let's have this happen too". There was a lot of cause and effect in this book. 4.25 for Rainbows.
Profile Image for Dale Bay.
82 reviews
October 27, 2016
With each installment of Fairmont Boys we can see Jay growing as a writer. #3 is clearly superior to the first two volumes. However in order to follow the story line and growth of the characters it's necessary (and worthwhile) to read the series in order.

Alex's complexity gives Jay some real opportunities to add depth and drama and in You Are Not My Son we see how he becomes more like his father, even as he slowly begins to realize that's how his life is beginning to turn out. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Introducing some new, younger characters was a good move as we see emerging, but as yet undeveloped, parallels with Liam/Alex. It also opens the way to a new independent series set in Texas. Alternatively both sets of stories could be worked within the existing Fairmont Boys franchise.

I stick with my complaint that the new cover art is inappropriate and misleading. This is a story of two boys, in three volumes, covering their Grade 11, Grade 12 and first year university years. The new cover art is a fail.

I'm looking forward to Jay following Mark Roeder in building this very promising foundation into many many volumes.
Profile Image for Amber Kestner.
Author 44 books255 followers
April 3, 2024
DNF at 15%.
I can't and won't finish it either. I feel like the characters keep running into the same wall. Yes, I have read reviews for the Series multiple times. I am sure this Author has grown since his first book but this Series isn't for me. I love Gay Romance especially High School to College to Adulthood.
I will recommend this Series who dare to take on Alex and Liam's off and on romance but I despise the character Alex that it makes my stomach turn. Liam is a sweet character that definitely deserved better.
Profile Image for Karyta.
38 reviews4 followers
August 5, 2017
From the amount of vomit produced and the hole from banging my head on the wall for the words constantly repeated "cute and kind" is a clear showing of how I can't believe I even finished this. Two stars is generous, I gave an extra cause I felt bad for Shawn.

HEY GUYS ALL THE BOYFRIENDS IN THIS BOOK ARE CUTE AND KIND JUST SO YOU KNOW.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
1,178 reviews11 followers
April 19, 2024
TW: parent death, homophobia, bullying

I just don’t care anymore. The writing isn’t great, I hate Liam, and it felt like the author tried to stretch the plot to keep it going. “When you don’t know how to continue your plot, kill someone off.” Is kind of how this book felt to me. I’m glad these books have its niche fan base, I unfortunately am not a part of it.
Profile Image for Kristof.
87 reviews3 followers
January 15, 2021
The sudden appearance of Shawn's storyline is a bit confusing. Would have been nice if that story got even more tangled in the main story.
As for the main story, it's a bit of pushing and pulling...
Profile Image for Jason Marchingo.
17 reviews2 followers
April 29, 2024
Watching Jay’s writing develop through each book in this series so far is what has kept me engaged.

This was another 4 star read for me. A book I’ll more than likely get the paperback for.

After reading my previous reviews, and other reviews of the first book to now, I can understand where other readers are coming from. This has a simplistic writing style with lots of room for imagination and interpretation, and I personally think that this is in part because it’s got a younger generation of readers as its target demographic.

If you want MxM spice, this isn’t it. They’re high school seniors / college freshman afterall. Besides, watching Alex and Liam’s relationship develop, and that of new friends and siblings of friends is definitely what has kept me drawn in.

I think too that this is part a good read for me, because of my personal connection to the story. I understand what it feels like to be bullied endlessly, be looking over my shoulder and hurt by those closest to me, and though completely different circumstances, couldn’t help but relate to certain aspects of Alex and Liam’s relationship to that of my own. I’m not sure, it’s hard to put my finger on it because of just how different the circumstances are. I’m also a few years older than the characters too.

All in all though, I’m writing this from a train. Taking a few to take in what I had just read, and then I’ll start #4.

~ 4 stars.
Profile Image for Diego Lucas.
Author 1 book1 follower
October 31, 2020
This is the third book in the Fairmont Boys Series and my favourite so far.

I love it how Jay Argent makes this teen romance story look like it’s actually real. He describes incredibly well all the struggles and anxiety of being gay in a straight society; the fear of how your parents and friends will react to it and whether you’ll be accepted and respected for what you are. But most importantly, Argent makes sure to state that being gay, just like being straight, is not a choice... you are born just the way you’re supposed to be.

This book shows all that, but most importantly, it shows that real friends exist and are always there for you and that love is worth it.

The book is, as I reviewed the one before, really well written and easy to read. There is also that feeling of “What’s going to happen next?” that didn’t let me put this book down (this is the third book I read in one week).

If you haven’t already, I strongly recommend this book along with the others in the series. You’ll fall in love with the characters. It’s amazing!
227 reviews4 followers
November 13, 2025
The truth to being gay

Alex decided that before his mom passed away that he would come out to her and in the process his dad decided to disown him and cut off his funds for school but on top of all that him and Liam were having problems and broke up for a little while and Scott brother was bitten up cause of a hate crime and had to go through a few surgeries before coming out to his brother Scott and getting Jamal back in his life to help him. Alex is back at college with Liam cause of American Rainbow that Tyler had sent in for him to get back into the college with his boyfriend.
3,549 reviews38 followers
June 22, 2017
What an Ending

Trouble seems to follow Alex everywhere. Thank goodness Liam is so forgiving and has such wonderful parents. Tyler is the best of friends and needs to replace the old lady in the financial aid office. He completed a task that she should have done which would have lessened the pain of so many people. I don't have high hopes for Alex's dad but sometimes miracles happen.

An excellent book for middle school and high school students.
21 reviews
October 25, 2023
Another great chapter in the beloved boys from Fairmont

This was an easy read and despite having plenty other to do, I read it in less than 24 hours ... You know a book is good when you look down at the footnotes of your Kindle app to see how much is left expecting to be half way through and are actually 90% done. I love Liam and Alex and hope there is more coming!
235 reviews3 followers
January 13, 2019
Steamy

Ahh to be young and in college. Liam and Alex are dating and sharing a form room while in college. Life couldn't be better. But life isn't always so simple. Life loves to their curve balls. But they will survive.
179 reviews2 followers
July 31, 2025
This story is so badly written. It is like an AI wrote it. The scenes don't really flow at all. If an unimportant character sleeps until they wake up and need to pee they include strangely too much info about them peeing. They also include strangely detailed flashbacks that dont really go anywhere
31 reviews2 followers
November 10, 2016
Bumpy, wonderful heart wrenching ride

I so enjoyed this series of books, I was very sad when I finished book three, dam I hope there is book four
5 reviews
June 17, 2017
Amazing author!!

One of the best books of this genre that I have read. Actually the whole series is truly amazing. author!
146 reviews
April 22, 2018
Very well written

I got confused reading when the story line switched when a chapter would be talking about a different intertwined with the current story line.
Profile Image for Matthew Hawkins.
73 reviews
July 30, 2020
Captivating read

This book kept the foot on the accelerator and kept making me want to read to the end to see how it goes. Love the characters and how relatable they are
Profile Image for Dylan Miller.
120 reviews
December 30, 2023
THIS BOOK BROUGHT ME THROUGH SO MANY EMOTIONS!!! So much stuff was going on with Alex and Liam. I loved the introduction of Shawn and his life. These books are so entertaining and enjoyable to read.
73 reviews
April 28, 2024
Loved It 😍

Another great story in this book series 👏 I enjoyed the read so much that I couldn't put it down. The plot twists were great, and the ending was heartwarming ♥️
Profile Image for Dale.
15 reviews
January 8, 2019
Book 3 is the best so far in terms of thought organization and flow. Writing style is still off for me but the story is good.

Looking forward to the rest of the series now.

[edit] now that I’ve finished the series, I can recommend it. So make sure you buy the box set (all 5 books) and save yourself some money!
Profile Image for Alex.
56 reviews
September 22, 2019
Another brilliant from Fairmont boys!!! I've enjoyed reading the whole story from beginning to the very end. Poor, poor Alex! It was been so much he had to go through and he did it well! He has internal powerful strength that allows him to overcome such a numerous obstacles and dramas. He deserved fully to find himself happy again in the end!
2 reviews1 follower
October 23, 2016
being gay doesn't mean being alone

this story is beautiful. Jay really expressed emotions how hate, love, forgiveness, acceptance, and true friendship come together. and the end will surprise you. there are a few tear jerker moments, but I suggest reading the series.... it will make you will smile!
2 reviews
November 7, 2016
Great read

This is nothing short of amazing. It brought both feelings of warmth and sadness to my heart while reading. A must read! Hopefully more books are on the way. Either way Jay Argent thank you for the great story and future I have to look forward to!
Profile Image for Coty.
178 reviews32 followers
January 18, 2017
Third installment of the series is okay. The MC's are in college. Alex is still a screw up but, I liked him. There were more typos and words completely missing from some sentences. Enjoyable series overall.
Profile Image for Raymond Richard .
218 reviews
April 6, 2017
Jay Argent 's writing keeps getting better. I'm emotionally tied to this couple. I read the whole trilogy in a few days. I hope a 4th book comes soon. Alex doesn't need to screw up anymore. They can be a stable couple and the conflict in the next book can be from others. Show a young gay couple as normal people. I'm sure Shawn would be in the next book.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews

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